


Fractured Moonlight

by Hyaluronic



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/F, F/M, More tags to be added, No beta we die like mne, Original Characters for Plot purposes only, Post Sailor Stars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22887460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyaluronic/pseuds/Hyaluronic
Summary: The Silver Millennium was the height of the civilized world ages ago and it was assumed that every child, every parent, every pauper and royal perished with the attack of the Dark Kingdom but dreams of familiar places and people plague Usagi, voices of the past seem to call out to Rei, and then there's Mamoru who's body aches with an unknown ailment and all signs point to something ancient and long ago spewing forth from forgotten memories to reclaim what was lost all those millennia's ago.As Summer Break comes to a close the Senshi might have one last obstacle to face before all is said and done.
Relationships: Chiba Mamoru & Shitennou, Chiba Mamoru/Tsukino Usagi, Kaiou Michiru/Tenoh Haruka, Tsukino Usagi & Inner Senshi
Kudos: 9





	Fractured Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting this after realizing the horrible formating and the fact that it was showing up as a complete work and this is in fact not a complete work, le sigh.
> 
> Anyways, I haven't wrote for the Sailor Moon fandom since middle school so forgive any wonky OOC-ness that might show up. Also, this is a mish mash of pretty much all the Sailor Moon canon and a little original headcanon thrown in for good measure. This is going to be a long and bumpy ride ladies and gents so strap in and enjoy!

_The land under her was shaking, rocking back and forth as if on an ever-wavering sea. Her eyes searched around her, skipping from object to object unsure of her location but the familiarity of the surroundings sent a nagging feeling of irritation through her. She knew this place; she just couldn't place it. Her gaze finally landed on a single white five petal flower, ends curled in on themselves, that appeared to be too delicate to touch. For reasons unknown to her, the flower brought about a sense of peace and love, causing a warm smile to grace her lips._

_"Lilies always were your favorite." The deep timbre of the voice behind her was so smooth and calming she didn't even startle at the unexpected intrusion. She could feel the soft sweep of air through the lace of her dress as the man came to stand beside her, his calloused hands gently stroking the flowers fragile petals. "Until another flower caught your attention, I'm afraid."_

_She wanted so badly to ask this man before her, who seemed so burdened with loss and sadness, what he meant but words failed her. It was as if even the simple task of forming them seemed to tiresome to try._

_"Why do you haunt me so?" Turning, the man brought a hand up to caress her cheek but sighed when his hand met with no resistance. "Is it because I failed you?"_

_The question fell upon deaf ears. Her heart was racing, why had his hand gone right through her? Why was he speaking to her in such a way that it was as if she were nothing more than an echo from his own memory? She felt a painful palpitation in her chest as her heart rushed to catch up with her feelings. This was a dream! A memory? Something unknown and scary and she did not welcome the implication that she was nothing more than a memory to this man. She was real!_

_... wasn't she?_

_His hand hovered over her cheek, as if he wanted to touch her, but was afraid. "A war is coming. One that has been in the works for millennia." She watched as his eyes started to glisten with such raw emotion, she couldn't help but feel her own eyes well in sympathy. "All I ask is for your understanding. And, if it should happen, in the end, your forgiveness."_

_A war? War with who? Before she could even try to pose the question, something pulled at her, something bright and painful. Her breath hitched as she was wrenched away from the man._

"WAIT!" Usagi jolted awake breath coming fast and hard, heart beating a painful staccato in her chest. 

"Usagi?" The quiet voice and gentle paw on her hand had the young girl turning towards her cat. 

"Dream." She responded. "Just a very vivid dream." With a heavy sigh of relief Usagi brought a cool hand to her forehead to sooth the warmth it was radiating.

Luna delicately made her way to sit on her friends’ legs, head ducking to stare into the girl’s eyes. "Are you alright?"

Usagi let her hand fall to rest on the top of Luna's head. "Mmhmm, I'm fine Luna."

"Good!" Luna shrugged Usagi's hand off before she jumped down to the floor and stretched. "Then you best hurry or you'll be late."

Forehead scrunched in confusion, Usagi grabbed her phone from the nightstand and hit the power button, eyes widening at the time. "9:00! Rei is going to throttle me!" 

Usagi threw the covers off and scrambled to her closet. "Luna how could you let me sleep so late?! You were supposed to wake me!" Hastily, she grabbed a simple sundress and a pair of sandals before sprinting towards the bathroom.

All the while, Luna just watched with a raised brow as Usagi passed back by the bedroom door this time dressed for the day. "Silly girl." 

-_-_-_-_-

_"-corded its 4th consecutive day of temperatures 35 C or higher on Wednesday, reaching 39.8 C. That's the highest temperature recorded anywhere in Japan this year, according to JMA, and ties for the 25th-highest daily high temperature ever recorded in Japanese history. Authorities are cautioning citizens to please stay indoors as it's likely this period of extreme heat will be with us for the rest of the we-"_

Rei switched the TV off and dropped the remote onto the coffee table. "Another hot day."

Ami set her book down and nodded. "Global Warming is starting to be a worrisome thing."

"Eh, I don't think it's Global Warming." Minako stated as she inspected the small cookie in her hand. "It's probably aliens bent on global destruction."

Ami sputtered. "W-what?"

Makoto shook her head in shame. "Please don't tell me you were watching that stupid documentary again?"

"Aliens of the Ancient World is not a stupid documentary it's based in fact! They have scientists and everything!" 

"I... I don't know how to respond to that." Rei muttered, head in her hands. Letting her hands fall, the raven-haired teen plopped down onto the floor. "Why were you even watching that in the first place?"

Minako shrugged. "Artemis thinks the host lady is cute."

"Oh!" Makoto started leaning forward and resting her head on her folded hands. "Does he now?"

A giggle. "But don't tell Luna, she might get jealous."

"We really should be studying. College entrance exams will be here before you know it. And, I do not want to be one of the few people who have to take a Gap Year."

Makoto grinned and flicked a cookie crumb towards the blue haired genius. "I think you'll do fine, Ami. You're the top student in the year."

"Be that as it may-"

"Sorry, I'm late!" The group of four turned to see Usagi shoving the door open with a bright smile on her face. "I overslept again."

Rei rolled her eyes. "What else is new? We haven't started anyways, so you’re just in time."

The grin slowly fell. "You guys didn't have to wait on me, really!"

"And let you miss all the fun of..." Minako paused to glance down at the title of the book in front of her, cringing. "Civics, ugggh."

"Hey, Civics is pretty interesting." 

Minako looked up, smiled at Makoto, and wagged her eyebrows suggestively. "What'll it cost for you to do my homework?"

With a wink, the brunette replied, "You couldn't afford me, girl.", before she leaned back onto her elbows with a sigh. "Besides, we're on break, we still have a while before we have to worry about homework. Come on, let's go do something fun!"

Rei shook her head. "In this heat? We'd all wind up in the hospital with heat stroke."

"Too hot to go outside and now stuck with the two people who think homework is fun. Told you, Aliens." 

Usagi raised an eyebrow at Minako before turning to look towards Ami and Rei, who both appeared annoyed at the comment. "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing important." Rei stated glaring at Makoto, who was covering up her laugh with a fake cough.

"Right..." Usagi knelt between Rei and Ami. She slowly reached for the civics textbook, her eyes lingering on the bright green cover with bold red lettering. She had a love-hate relationship with schoolwork. She knew she needed to try harder. She couldn't always be lazy daydreaming Usagi, but when she thought of all the battles she and her friends had faced and all the hardships yet to come, schoolwork just seemed like such a minor thing. She had talked to Mamochan about her concerns. Had explained to him that she couldn't get motivated to complete her studies and the stupid lovable jerk had been so understanding that she had ended up far more frustrated after their conversation. She wanted someone to push her, someone to hold her accountable, someone to tell her how silly she was being. She just-. 

"Usagi?"

Startled, Usagi turned to Rei's concerned gaze. "Hmm?"

"You alright?" 

Usagi took a deep breath and turned to stare at the cover of the civics textbook once more. "Yeah, just... just thinking."

By the time they had finally finished gossiping and buckled down to study the afternoon bells were already ringing throughout the shrine.

"Yaaas! Break time!" Minako shouted in jubilation, dropping the textbook onto the table. 

"It's only been half an hour, Minako." Ami admonished, gently slipping her glasses up onto the crown of her head. "I'm very sure-"

"Break time~!" Minako interrupted in a sing-song tone.

Makoto stood and stretched, groaning as her back popped. "I agree, I could use a break."

Ami took a breath ready to issue another protest against taking a break but stopped when she heard Usagi's stomach growl beside her. She sighed in defeat. "Alright, I suppose a break would be beneficial."

Usagi blushed and held her stomach embarrassed. "Sorry."

-_-_-_-_-

Mamoru sighed in utter exhaustion as he fell back against the cool sheets of his queen-sized bed. He was worn out and beyond ready for sleep. Sniffling, he turned on his side and hugged one of his pillows to his chest nuzzling against the cotton with a breath of contentment. The twenty-one-year-old frowned after a few minutes when he felt his back begin to throb in protest of the position.

With a frustrated grunt he turned over onto his other side and slid his arm beneath his head. A smile graced his tired features as the new position sent the minor pain fleeting. Moments ticked quietly by before his hip began to elicit the same annoying throb. 

Mamoru groaned; he was no stranger to insomnia. During the last months of his high school years he knew the affliction well. Between moonlighting as a masked vigilante, rising early in the morning for school, and staying out well into the evening hours for cram-school sessions; he was used to surviving on minimal sleep and taking small naps where he could. So, he didn't understand why his body was disagreeing with his current need for sleep.

He laid there for a few more moments before he sat up and scrubbed at his gritty eyes. With a sigh of resignation, he grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and clicked the power button, squinting against the intrusive light to see it was only 10:48pm. 

Completely ridiculous. 

He set the offending object to his side and stood. The bright city lights of Boston greeted him as he made his way to the apartments glass fronted balcony. He stood there momentarily, taking in the bustling late-night activity of the city below, before slipping out of the balcony doors. The updraft of wind stole his breath as the traffic below sent an aching fire through his head. 

_”All's well my Liege?"_

Mamoru clasped his hands together as he leaned against the balcony railing. The faint glamour of a man long past settled beside him, the warm brown eyes of his old friend studying him in concern.

"Can't sleep, unfortunately."

A non-committal noise of understanding escaped the man. 

"For some reason, I just can't seem to get comfortable. My body is aching more."

_"The winds of change have begun to blow."_

Mamoru raised an eyebrow at the cryptic idiom. "That's not ominously vague."

The man shook his head, the crinkle at the corner of his eyes showing his amusement at the comment. _"All life on this planet, organic or otherwise, is shaped by the forces and presence of Earth and the Cosmos. The connection, such as it may be, is deeply inherent to one’s well-being."_

"What, exactly, does that mean?" The side eye he received from his old friend had him sighing in frustration. "Kunzite!"

 _"You modern humans surround yourself with buildings of stone and metal."_ Kunzite started, crossing his arms. _"You immerse yourself in machines and technology that cause a disconnect between the natural flow of energy from the Earth to your physical vessel."_

"It's the way of the world." Mamoru stated matter-of-factly, turning to lean back against the balcony railing. "Technology is the future."

 _"Technology is ever changing. Even in the days of old."_ Kunzite agreed, _"But you are of this Earth, Endymion. You are not just a being upon this planet with a vague sense of connection to this world. Who you are, what shapes you, your very state of being, is of Gaia."_

"Okay." The information was not necessarily new. The connection he maintained with the Golden Crystal, as infantile as it was, connected him to his old home Elysian and to his new home on Earth. But what he didn't understand was how that pertained to his current predicament. "Okay, so what does this have to do with my insomnia and body aches?"

Kunzite let his head fall back with a roll of his eyes. 

_"It means, Nekkid Time!"_

Mamoru sputtered and turned towards the second youngest of his generals, face beet red. "W-what?"

 _"I believe,"_ A voice soft as silk whispered from Mamoru's right, _"what Jadeite means to say is grounding yourself in nature will help relieve your ailment and restore yourself."_

 _"Well, if you want to define it in the less fun way, then yes."_ Jadeite confirmed, winking at Mamoru with a grin. _"You need to realign yourself and to do so you'll need to bare yourself in nature."_

"Bare myself in nature." Mamoru repeated, closing his eyes with a put-upon sigh. "Sounds wonderful."

-_-_-_-_-

" _-in the end, your forgiveness._ " Somehow those haunting words swept through her mind once more. The man had seemed so heartbroken and wistful during her dream that it made her heart ache. She wanted to help the poor man. She wasn't sure how, but she had a sense that the man from her dreams was real. She tried hard to remember if anything had stood out, anything that would help her identify the man; but the haziness of the dream was making it difficult to remember. 

"What do you think?"

Usagi blinked, a brightly colored spoon hanging from her mouth as she turned questioningly to Makoto. "Hmm?"

Makoto let out a small laugh and bumped her shoulder against Usagi's, "Noryo-Matsuri is next week, I was thinking we could all meet at Patio-dori? Make our way from there?"

"Mmm." Usagi nodded, pulling the spoon out of her mouth. "Sounds good." 

Rei, who was sitting across from Usagi and Makoto, raised an eyebrow at the gentle response. "Don't get too excited over there, Usagi."

Usagi blushed and stared down at her shaved ice. "Sorry, just... I have a lot on my mind. I didn't sleep very good last night."

"Bad dream?" Rei asked in concern.

Usagi shook her head, "Not bad, just... odd?" 

Ami rose an eyebrow, "How so?"

"Odd because...it just, it felt real?" Usagi took a bite of her shaved ice and sighed. "I don't really remember much. Just that there was a man, he seemed so sad. He was begging for me to understand. He asked for my forgiveness." Usagi paused for a moment, eyes focused on the frozen treat before her. "He said there was a war coming."

"Usagi..." Makoto whispered, arms wrapping around the blonde in comfort. "I'm sure it was just a dream."

"Yeah! You probably ate something weird before bed, right?" 

Usagi looked towards Minako with a smile and nodded. "Probably. Mama did make spicy taco rice for supper last night."

"See!" Minako pointed out happily. "Nothing to worry about. It was probably just your belly and brain having a disagreement."

"I guess."

Rei pursed her lips, eyes lingering on Usagi for a few beats before the noise of rowdy shrine goers had her turning towards the door. "I swear if the heat doesn't get to me the stupidity of the visitors will. Hey!" Rei shouted before whisking out of the room in a blur of black hair and indignation towards the youths roughhousing in the courtyard.

"Should we help?" Usagi asked watching the scene outside unfold with wide eyes.

Makoto laughed and proceeded to finish the last of her shaved ice. "I think Rei can handled a couple of loud-mouthed kids."

"I'm not worried about Rei," Usagi started, watching as two kids - presumably their age - ran pass the door screaming apologies to the red-faced Rei currently chasing them. "I'm more worried about the poor people she's running after with a broom..." 

"Don't do the crime if you can't face the angry Hino." Minako surmised with a wink. "So, Usagi, have you heard from Mamoru?"

"Mm, he called a few days ago. Said he was settling in just fine. He's supposed to call tonight and tell me how his interview went."

"Oh? Where's he working?" 

Usagi pursed her lips in thought before answering Ami. "He said he was hoping to get a position at the university hospital as a nursing aide. He thought the hands-on approach would help him when he takes his testing this year." 

"That's very smart of him." Ami agreed. "It's hard to believe he'll be starting his second year of Medical School."

"I know, he's been such a nervous wreck all week. I told him that he was being silly. That he would do just fine whether he stayed here in Japan or studied in America." Usagi sighed and nestled her chin in her hands. "He over thinks things. I wish sometimes he'd turn that oversized brain of his off and learn to trust himself more."

"Men are very complicated people, Usagi." Minako pointed out. "They don't have the intuition that us women do. They all think with their upstairs brain and not enough with their downstairs one."

"That's the truth." Makoto agreed and then paused, flabbergasted. "Wait, what!?"

"Their hearts, dummy!"

"Oh, Minako... that's not, they're just..." A sigh. "Please, don't ever change."

"Okay?" Minako replied confused.

-_-_-_-_-

Rei huffed out a breath as she watched the three teenagers scurry onto the sidewalk and rush down the street. She couldn't believe the ignorance of some people. To come into such a respected place and act so ill-mannered, it was ridiculous! 

_"Did you hear? They said JAXA is meeting."_

At the voice, Rei turned from her position to the stare across the street. Eyes lingering on the two-gentleman standing beside a trash can outside the Argentinean Embassy. She had always loved that her home was across from the embassy. The location brought much needed foot traffic to the shrine and such interesting characters as well. But, like everything, the government building brought its own share of problems too. Most recently in the form of a protest about human rights, that had seen the streets crowded with people and the sidewalks lined with police. That day had Rei seeking privacy in the back rooms of the shrine trying to calm herself from the raw energy running rampant. 

But now, as she watched the two men in business suits quickly make their way into the building, she could sense the panic and anxiety they were projecting in waves. Squeezing the broom handle, she strained her ears to make out anymore of the conversation but could only understand every few words. Something about _strange lights_ and _communication delays_ but nothing more. She wasn't sure why JAXA - an Aerospace agency - would have government officials worried but it definitely piqued her interest.

With a sigh, Rei moved to head back into the shrine but a heaviness in the air stopped her. An oppressive heat that had nothing to do with the sweltering air enveloped her senses. From the peaks of the trees above a guttural croak echoed down and filled the suddenly silent grounds of the shrine. Rei looked up in time to see Phobos and Deimos stretch their wings and rustle the drying leaves in panic. 

"You feel it to, huh?" Rei crinkled her forehead in concern, watching as her feathered friends hopped from branch to branch in distress. 

_"Alcippe."_

If it hadn't been for the wind carrying the soft whisper, Rei wasn't even sure she would have heard it. The pleasant gentleness of the voice had an almost calming effect, sending the unease from before dissipating along with the breeze. 

"I'm sorry?" Rei questioned the owner of the voice, turning around only to be greeted by the empty street behind her. She glanced left and right her eyes searching the barren sidewalks for the owner of the mysterious voice, but none appeared. The errant whisper, she decided, most likely belonged to the lasts wisps of a spirit. 

It wouldn't be the first time a random spirit had passed through the shrine and it would most likely not be the last. Rei had learned early on many souls visited religious places on their journey to rest; but, fewer of them had the required spark needed to manipulate the energy around them to affect the world of the living. That had caught her attention. Whomever had decided to pass through had been very energetic. And while worrisome, didn't really bother Rei, the spirit didn't appear to be lingering and had already seemed to have moved on, hopefully to find peace. Her current concern were the two feathered noise makers, who had landed hastily in front of her, cawing and hopping back and forth; the parody of children trying to get their mothers attention. 

"Hush now, you two." Rei admonished, turning her gaze to the two birds jumping at her feet. "Whatever was here is gone. No need to be so hyperactive."

"Go on,” Rei shooed, "find some sort of shade and cool down. I don't want to have to take you two to the clinic because you overheated yourselves." Phobos and Deimos cawed in annoyance before flying away to the inner branches of the trees above.

"And don't forget to drink something!" She hollered after them.

-_-_-_-_-

Mamoru wiggled his toes in embarrassment. Cheeks cherry red and his hands, cold from the late night, strategically placed to cover every aspect of his exposed manhood. The small wooded area that Zoisite had identified as a ley-line, a place of natural energy, had thankfully - for dignities sake - been vacant. 

The soft chuckle and the ghost of a hand slapping his shoulder had the poor man cringing. _"What did you think 'Bare yourself in nature' would come to mean?"_

"I thought it was an expression." Mamoru muttered, eyes down cast. He was trying very hard to remember that the figures who had accompanied him were nothing more than a fantastical manifestation of energy from his deceased friends; And, that he had nothing to be embarrassed of. 

_"If the expression comes to mean buck-ass naked as the day you were birthed, then yes. It was an 'expression'."_

_"Nephrite,"_ Kunzite started, _“must you always be so crass?"_

 _"The prince is ashamed of something that once would have been considered a time of celebration and renewal. It's most maddening."_ Nephrite answered before turning to Mamoru, _"Your parents would hold weeklong celebrations. There was much merriment and feasting to be had for all in attendance. It was a way for the King and Queen to honor their subjects for their fealty. The last great spectacle before the birth of the new year. It was definitely a sight to behold."_

Nephrite sighed and lowered himself to the grass beside his princes’ legs. Eyes shining in fond remembrance. _"I do so miss your parents... They were stricken from this world far before their calling."_

Mamoru swallowed hard against the sudden lump in his throat. He could barely remember his parents from this life – just faint flashes of a shadowed smile and the gentle caress of a hand on his cheek - let alone even attempt to try and recall the family from a life long since passed. With a breath of determination, Mamoru knelt beside Nephrite with a nod. "You'll have to show me this renewal ceremony."

Nephrite nodded.

 _"Very few were ken to the actual ceremony."_ Zoisite explained, settling himself in front of Mamoru. _"Only those of the royal family and their court bore witness to such an intimate experience."_

The poor man was back to blushing again. "Intimate..."

 _"It's not a sex thing!"_ Jadeite exclaimed, _"The amount of raw energy that courses through the Mother Gaia, is nothing but pure elation."_

 _"Calm your mind, My Prince."_ Kunzite whispered, _"You must allow yourself to think what your mind wishes. Acknowledge the thought and let it pass, do not react. Your goal here is to allow yourself to connect to the energy of the Ley Line that runs through this very place."_

"But how-" Mamoru started but was interrupted with a sharp tongued ' _Focus'_ from Zoisite. 

Focus, right. 

Mamoru closed his eyes and wiggled against the ground trying to find a comfortable position, a hard task when one was naked and sitting on top of dry itchy grass. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be focusing on. Sure, he had meditated before, but that was as simple as letting his mind wander whichever way it wanted to go. This felt more like he should have a single goal to set his sights on; as to what, he wasn't sure though. He was curious as to what time it was, he had to be up early tomorrow- today? - to finish buying supplies from the University's bookstore. He couldn't believe he was only two weeks out from the start of the school year. He had so much to do in the coming months. He had to get a hold of the exam board to see about taking the NBME. Not to mention he would be taking step one of the USMLE. The thought of taking that particular exam alone was enough to make his stomach roil with sickness. If he didn't pass the first test for his license, he couldn't start his rotations next year. And if he didn't start his-...

 _"Focus!"_ Zoisite admonished, again. _"You are not allowing your mind to quiet itself. You are intentionally over-thinking."_

How did-?

His answer came from Jadeite. _"Your forehead does this weird constipated thing when you think too much."_

Right. Focus. 

Mamoru took a deep breath, expanding his chest as far as he could, allowing the cold night air to calm his worried thoughts. Slowly, as his breath left him, he allowed the sounds of the wooded area to encompass him. He forced himself to focus on the feeling of the late-night breeze sweeping over his goose pimpled skin. The sudden chill sending a slight shiver through him. He could hear the rocking of the tree branches above as the wind seemed to create a gentle legato with the rustling of the leaves; a rhythmic caress that blended well with the staccato of an owl hooting off in the distance. 

Inhale and exhale. 

Ever so slowly, Mamoru let the tension in his body release. An unknown weight seeming to disperse as his body slowly sank deeper into the ground under him. He felt odd. As if he were so light he would float away but the heaviness of the land beneath him kept him grounded. 

Gradually, his breath began to even out, no longer a harsh respiration but a continuous unchanging motion. 

In with a rush of chilled night air and out with a sigh of warmth. He continued this until the sounds of the woods slowly faded away to the quiet of his breath, his body leaving the sensations of the brisk night behind as he continued his journey inward. Here, thoughts which had plagued him earlier stilled. In this place of dark quiet, Mamoru allowed himself to settle and be at peace. 

The soft lub-dub of his heartbeat welcomed him to this place of restoration. He felt cradled in a blanket of warmth; a soothing heat that reminded him of the many nights he lay entwined with Usagi in his bed. Nights where the two were so entangled together he was never sure where she began, and he ended. 

"You two would have conquered the Cosmos."

Mamoru startled at the intrusion, "I'm sorry...?"

"No need to be sorry." 

The darkness around Mamoru suddenly flashed a brilliant blue, a beautiful spectacle sending a cascade of light sweeping through the black and illuminating the towering figure draped in fine linens before him. Mamoru stared in awe at the figure. Taking in the sheer unadulterated beauty of the Titaness before him. 

Ringlets of pure silken earth fell gently from beneath the golden crown adorning the unknown woman's head. Eyes that seemed to be made from the very seas of the Earth bore into him. Commanding his attention with every fiber of his being. The woman's aura seeped into the surrounding air between them and in that very moment something sparked to life inside Mamoru, something he had thought was long since lost to him. Something he never thought he would be intimate to again.

"M....mother?"

The light surrounding the woman slowly gave way as she swept forward hands reaching towards him. "Endymion. My baby, I had always hoped one day that we would be reunited. And, by the Gods, here you stand before me."

-_-_-_-_-_-

 _“What I would not give to have my Kiseru.”_ Kunzite murmured with a sigh. 

Nephrite snorted, _“You’re an ethereal being housed in a crystal, how would you even smoke it?”._

 _“I would find a way.”_ Kunzite retorted.

Nephrite smirked in response before slowly shifting to stare at his gloved hands. Paying attention to the fact that even though he knew the white leather should feel buttery-smooth – given the sheep stock the garments came from – he felt nothing. He clenched his hands as a thread of anger began to the twine through him. He was useless! A shadow of a man who fought on the wrong side of a war that claimed everything he had cared for. Blinded by a prophecy of fear and malcontent - too afraid to shake the foundations of what he had come to know for fear of his Prince’s life and the Kingdoms future. He was such an incompetent guardian to allow himself to be swayed by the sweet promises of a devil-tongued handmaiden. 

_“Do not dwell on the sins of the past, my friend.”_

Nephrite glanced to Kunzite with a grunt, _“Hard not to when everything went to hell.”_

 _“We all believed we were doing what was needed.”_ Zoisite tried to console. 

_“Except we were at the forefront of a war that ended with the deaths of millions.”_ Nephrite hissed in anger, refusing to be comforted against his wrongdoings. _“Because of our idiocy the Silver Millennium fell! We were supposed to protect our Prince and the Kingdom, instead we let a vile demon slither into our minds!”_

 _“Nephrite! Enough!”_ Kunzite barked quickly coming to a stand, towering over his second-in-command, who was still seated on the ground beside Mamoru. _“What’s done has been done and if this is our penance for transgressions past, then we will face this with the dignity expected of our positions. Understood?”_

Nephrite came to a standing as well, his brown eyes dark with anger at Kunzite’s words. _“Our positions? And what would our positions be? We are nothing but shades, doomed to council a Prince we can no longer protect!”_

Zoisite raised his hands, _“Nephrite. Kunzite. Please, arguing about this will not bode well for anyone.”_

 _“Um, guys?”_ Jadeite tried to interrupt, blue eyes tracking something off in the distance.

 _“No, but it will make me feel better!”_ Nephrite retorted.

Jadeite slowly stood, eyes widening as lights began to cast eerie shadows across the clearing. _“Guys!”_

Kunzite turned towards the younger man, _“What!?”_

 _“Something’s happening.”_ Jadeite stated, nodding his head towards the sky.

Zoisite glanced from Kunzite and Nephrite to the sky above. _“Holy Mother.”_ He whispered stepping back in shock.

High above them, in a sky that was quiet with the novelty of peace just moments before, was chaos. Fire rained from the heavens leaving a shimmer of ashen dust behind as the flames travelled quickly through the night. Lighting flashed in the distance, tendrils of brilliant white spidering out across the cloud cluttered night sky, heralding the oncoming crack of thunder. The echoing boom ricocheted off the surrounding woods, startling the four men. 

_“What the heck is happening?”_ Jadeite questioned.

 _“A meteor shower?”_ Nephrite answered, unsure.

 _“Not a meteor shower, something else.”_ Kunzite supplied, eyes widening in horror as one of the fireballs seemed to collide with an unknown object high in the sky creating an explosion that resounded through the small clearing. _“It feels hostile.”_

 _“Hostile…?”_ Zoisite murmured in concern, _“An attack? But, surely Serenity and her court would-.”_

 _“Guys!”_ Jadeite interrupted in panic, _“Incoming!”_

Kunzite growled eyes tracking the same threat Jadeite saw. _“Formation!”_

Instinct took over as the four generals surrounded Mamoru, each reaching for the hilt of their sword about their waist. Kunzite watched as the swirling flames came ever closer to their position, the charred and still burning remains of the collision trailing behind. A gross reminder of the destruction that was raining down on, not just them, but the city of Boston.

A ghastly orange glow crept over the small clearing, casting distorted shadows across them. The trees above began to smolder from the encroaching heat; their overturned leaves, already dry from the harsh summer heat, quickly kindled to life. Flames, as brilliant and seemingly hot as the sun itself, quickly lapped against branches and trunk alike, hungry to feed the ravenous blaze. Plumes of thick grey smoke curled high into the air fading to a harsh black, a warning for those in the distance of the danger below. 

Kunzite tightened his grip on his sword, unsure exactly what their defense would be against a firestorm and a massive forest fire. He looked back towards the still form of Mamoru, the poor man’s skin already a bright cherry red and glistening from the intensity around them and grit his teeth. What had Nephrite called them earlier – shades? How was a shade supposed to protect the most important person in their life from such destruction? He was damned useless! He was a leader, Advisor to the Crown Prince of Earth and Protector to the Bearer of the Golden Crystal and yet powerless to do anything but bear witness to the inevitable. Kunzite blinked hard against the sudden reality that struck him. After everything, this couldn’t be how it ended… it just couldn’t… 

_“Kunzite?”_ Nephrite questioned, trying to gauge the older man’s thoughts.

 _“Hold position.”_ Kunzite replied, steadfast. Regardless of the hopelessness of the situation, it was his- their- bound duty to protect Mamoru. 

An orange haze had settled over them, a choking smog that had Kunzite worrying at his bottom lip. Another quick glance at Mamoru also had him deeply concerned; the Prince’s breathing had started to sound strained, the heat and smoke most likely irritating the man’s airway. He hadn’t wanted to wake Mamoru, the trauma of being ripped from the ley lines energy would be stressful and cause a disconnect within the younger man. But Kunzite didn’t have a choice, they had to awaken him. 

_“Zoisite!”_

At the call, the youngest of the group turned towards Kunzite. 

The elder jerked his head towards Mamoru. _“We need to wake him up.”_

Zoisite nodded hastily, kneeling quickly in front of his Prince. _“I am sorry for this, but confused and alive is better than the alternative.”_ With a shaky nod to himself, Zoisite placed his hands on either side of Mamoru’s head and closed his eyes. He had no idea if trying to connect to Mamoru would even work; but, by the Gods above he would try. 

Zoisite concentrated on trying to follow the bond he shared with his Prince but every time he thought he had found the thread that tied them together it slipped just that much further from him. He crinkled his forehead in frustration. Magic was his specialty; energy manipulation was basic schooling. He had learned how to guide people into and out of restoring trances before he ever learned to ride his first horse. But this game of cat and mouse seemed like someone was deliberately trying to keep him from waking Mamoru. 

Once again, he came upon that thread of warmth that always seemed to make the world that much brighter, the air that much clearer, but just as before it slowly fell from his grasp. Zoisite could feel his Princes energy slowly slip from him. A dark seemed to settle over his senses, a deafening quiet that, had he been alive, would have had his ears burning. With a flex of his fingers, Zoisite prepared to follow the faint signature into the black but was pushed back into awareness by a sudden onslaught of raw energy. A soundless scream escaped him as he shoved against the force and pushed himself up; he tried to break the connection, but it was as if something had latched onto him, sending waves of nausea through him. 

_“Something’s wrong…”_

_“Of course, somethings wrong, the skies are trying to kill us!”_ Jadeite replied harshly, turning towards Zoisite in annoyance. 

Zoisite blinked owlishly at his friend, suddenly feeling weak. _“The energy… something’s happening…”_ With one last slow blink, Zoisite fell forward into a faint. 

Jadeite rushed to help, _“Zoisite!”_

Nephrite turned at the panicked shout, watching as Jadeite knelt beside their fallen friend. He stood captivated as a brilliant golden light seemed to explode from Zoisite, cascading waves of pure energy, beating in tandem with a seemingly phantom heartbeat, enveloped Jadeite blocking the younger man from view. 

_“What in the Heavens?”_ Nephrite questioned starting towards the two when the light seemed to sense his movements and reached out and swallowed him as well. 

Kunzite blinked against the harsh display of energy, he unsheathed his sword, and steadied his hand. He’d be damned if he went down without at least a swing from his blade. With a scream of frustration Kunzite raised his sword as the blinding light engulfed him.

-_-_-_-_-_-

“I… I don’t understand.” Mamoru murmured, his calloused fingers gently grasping the soft hands cupping his face. “H-how?”

“Oh, _Fauntkin_ …” With a gentle shake of her head, the regal woman blinked against the swell of tears and lowered her hands with a heavy breath. “I suppose my hopes of you faring well after the attack were nothing more than a paupers dream.”

Mamoru squeezed his mother’s hands – god that was still such an odd thing to think, this was his mother, how many sleepless nights had he dreamed of this moment? – and blinked in confusion. “The attack?” Surely, she couldn’t mean. “…the Dark Kingdom?”

“Mmm.” A nod. “You and your father were away when a handmaiden, of all things, began a riot in the courtyard. The palace guards accompanied me while I tried to contain the situation but…” She shook her head to rid herself of the unpleasantness of the memories. She didn’t want to waste what precious moments she had with her son dwelling on a past she could no longer change. 

“It’s alright.” Mamoru whispered, “I know how the story ends.”

“As do we all, I’m afraid.” 

Unsure of what else to say Mamoru just nodded as an awkward quiet seemed to settle over them. He kept stealing glances of the woman in front of him, memorizing every freckle that speckled her button nose, every worry line that faintly framed the corners of her mouth, the way her eyes sparkled just so when the light caught at the right angle. He burned them to memory, afraid when he left this place that her image would dull into a pleasant feeling of nostalgia. He was still unsure how she was here; he had been trying to connect to the ley line that ran through Boston. Was it a normal occurrence to see deceased family members? What was odder still is he knew this woman standing before him was his mother; he could feel a familial connection thrumming through him, but -.

Mamoru shook his head. "I don’t even know your name."

His mother straightened her back and squared her shoulders and gently tilted her head upwards, a regal stance that showed her social stature. “I am Queen Rhea, first daughter of Gaia and Ouranos, Wife to Aethlius, Mother of the Gods, Guardian of Elysia, and Bearer of the Golden Crystal. And, my duty, till such a time my successor is ready, is to protect the Golden Crystal.”

“But, how…” Mamoru started, confused.

“…am I here?” Rhea finished relaxing her posture, “My body perished, Endymion, not my essence. Children of Gaia are different than that of Prometheus. We never truly rest; we are held safely within the sanctity of the Golden Crystal until such a time we are called upon again.”

Mamoru shook his head, “I meant how are you here, as in, in this place? I was trying to connect to the ley-line’s energy…”

“ _Fauntkin_ , you truly know nothing of your heritage.” Rhea brought a hand to her sons’ cheek in a gentle caress while she searched for something unknown in the depths of his blue eyes. “You have no idea, do you?”

“Idea of what?” He asked quietly.

Rhea ignored the question as she let her hand fall with a stern nod. “Well, then, foremost hold out your hands.” 

Mamoru quirked his head in confusion but complied, extending his arms out in front of him. 

Rhea grabbed his hands and pushed them together, forming a cup. “Concentrate with all your will, as if your very life depended on this moment, call the crystal to you.”

With a sigh Mamoru closed his eyes and imagined the crystal appearing between his cupped hands. Moments ticked by and Mamoru, unsure of what exactly was supposed to happen, opened his eyes to peek down in confusion at his still empty hands. While he had never willingly tried to summon the crystal, he had drawn from its energy before in emergencies. Usagi had always made summoning the Silver Crystal appear so easy, as if the small glittering orb was an extension of her will, she wielded it so readily that he never thought about the amount of sheer control she must have. 

“Very well, back to the rudimentary then.” Rhea stated as she ran a hand across her forehead in thought. “When you wish to summon the crystal, you must focus on how you feel. The crystal in a sense is our center, our emotions wield the gem’s creation. We can’t be logical in our actions; we must let our mind focus on other ongoings and let our heart lead.”

Mamoru swallowed hard and stared at his cupped hands. _Don’t be logical._ Right. By his very nature he was a logical person. Emotions were never his strength, it’s why Usagi and he fit so well together, he was grounded in his logic and she guided his emotions. Mamoru pursed his lips in concentration and clenched his eyes closed. This time, as he tried to focus, a pinpoint of warmth bore through him; a flare of pain so hot that it had him jerking back in shock, his eyes snapping open in alarm. He looked to his mother unsure, something didn’t feel quite right about the heat that had surged within.

“Endymion?” Rhea’s concerned gaze raised the hairs on the back of his neck, making him even more sure – something was off. 

“It’s too hot.” Mamoru whispered realizing that the heat that had started in his chest was now spreading like fire through him, stinging and gnawing at his nerves. 

Rhea narrowed her eyes at an unknown spot behind him and roughly grasped his cupped hands before returning her focus to him. “You must summon the crystal now, Endymion! That heat that you feel. Let it burn through you, let it feed your desire - use it!” 

Mamoru swallowed against the lump in his throat and closed his eyes once more and tried to not fight against the sensation of frayed nerves and a heat so invasive that it seemed to want nothing more than to swallow him whole, burn through everything and leave nothing behind. 

“Call to the crystal, reclaim your birth right! Now, Endymion!” 

The frantic edge to his mother’s voice nourished the flames within him and sent them shooting from his chest in undulating waves of white hot pain to every fingertip, every toe, every part that seemed to be the end of his being was encompassed in the sensation.

“Fight through the pain, _Fauntkin_.”

Urged on by his mother’s words he tried to use the searing pain as the catalyst to his innate desire to will the crystal into being. He could feel something swell deep within him, a bright light that seemed to unfurl and fill every crevasse that had once been nothing but agony. The fire was a distant roar as a gentle pressure seemed to thrum through his fingers and white spots danced against his closed eyes in a magical display.

“You did it, Endymion.” 

At Rheas astonished whisper he opened his eyes and stared in awe at the small jagged sphere gently rotating within the confines of his hands. _He did it._ Mamoru looked up at his mother in triumph. 

“Your pains should ease _Fauntkin,_ you are whole now. You are truly a child of Gaia.” She said with a fond smile. “I, Rhea, hereby rescind my claim to the throne and renounce my birthright as bearer of the Golden Crystal, till such time I am called upon once more.”

The crystal in Mamoru’s hands flared to life in a brilliant display of power, blinding him. As the light faded so did his mother leaving him alone once more in darkness, the only light coming from the crystal still gently held between his hands. 

“Moth-“ He barely had a chance to call for Rhea before an unknown force pulled at him and he was ripped backwards through the dark. Panic overtook him causing the crystal to ensconce him in a dazzling array of light, almost as if the crystal was trying to calm the anxiety that was overwhelming him. Everything washed out at in a brilliant burst of gold before a lethargy came over Mamoru and he finally, almost blessedly, slept.

**Author's Note:**

> More to come I have the second chapter in progress and about half way wrote, it deals with the Outer Senshi and what's going on with them while the rest of this happening.


End file.
